JP2012064172A - Optical information reading setting support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mitigate user's setting operation for optical information reading.SOLUTION: When creating additional bank(s) having different lighting pattern, the user selects "partial lighting complementation," and selects a set bank to which he/she wants to add bank(s) from a list of banks already set by him/her. Then, the user selects the number of complementation, or the condition for the additional bank(s). If he/she selects "four directions," tree additional banks "4"-"6" are created by rotating the lighting pattern of the first bank "1" at intervals of 90°. When the user presses "reflect setting," the setting for the additional bank(s) is made and the additional bank(s) set is/are stored in a memory M of a bar code reader 2.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reading setting support apparatus that reads optical information such as a barcode and a QR code.

  Now that traceability has become widespread, optical information readers are installed in factories, logistics bases, etc., and optical information such as barcodes attached to products and products or optical codes are decoded. This type of optical information reader is called a “bar code reader” or “code reader”.

  The bar code reader irradiates optical information with laser light, visible light, and infrared light, and captures the reflected light with an optical reading element (imaging element). Then, the information recorded in the optical information is analyzed from this captured image.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a bar code reader. The barcode reader disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer case, in which two pointer LEDs, various substrates, a lens assembly, and an illumination LED are accommodated. Optical information is captured while irradiating the optical information with optical light. When the light quantity of the illumination LED incorporated in the barcode reader is insufficient, an external illumination unit is attached to the barcode reader, and optical information is illuminated using the external illumination unit.

  Patent Documents 2 to 4 disclose external illumination units attached to an optical microscope. The external lighting units of Patent Documents 2 to 4 have a ring shape, and LEDs arranged in a ring shape are arranged in a plurality of rows in the radial direction. A lens barrel of an optical microscope is inserted into the central opening of the ring-shaped illumination unit, and a ring-shaped illumination unit is installed in the lens barrel.

JP 2008-33465 A JP 2005-331623 A JP 2008-139708 A JP 2010-60415 A

  Although it is generally considered that a barcode reader controls external lighting, not only using external lighting solves everything, but lighting timing, how to apply light from external lighting, and light intensity are subtle. Control is often required, and there is a limit to the control of external lighting.

  More specifically, it is generally known that the ability of a bar code reader to read optical information varies greatly depending on the light irradiation direction on the workpiece. In particular, trying to read optical information such as barcodes and QR codes directly stamped on workpieces called direct parts marking, and workpieces with fine grinding marks on the surface called hairline workpieces. In this case, even if the marking quality is originally readable, the reading may become unstable depending on the direction in which light is applied to the work or the inclination angle of the work with respect to the barcode reader.

  The user sets various parameters so that the bar code reader can be stably operated. However, it takes time and effort to set various lighting patterns and other parameters. In particular, in order to ensure stable barcode reader reading for "direct part marking" and "hairline work", a user tries to perform various readings while changing various parameters and then perform tuning. For this, complicated setting work is forced.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an optical information reading setting support apparatus that can reduce the setting work of a user.

According to the present invention, the above technical problem is
An optical information reading setting support device that creates a setting bank including various parameters set by a user and reflects the setting bank in the operation of the optical information reading device,
Additional bank creation means for creating an additional bank in which the parameters around the reference parameter are changed according to a predetermined rule, based on the parameter selected by the user among various parameters included in the setting bank created by the user When,
An additional bank number selection means that allows the user to select the number of additional banks;
Optical information reading setting support, comprising: additional bank setting means for setting an additional bank created by the additional bank creating means based on an instruction of a user and reflecting it in the operation of the optical information reading apparatus This is accomplished by providing an apparatus.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a lighting lighting pattern is selected by a user, and an additional setting bank is created by changing the lighting pattern. According to another embodiment, the amount of illumination light is selected by the user, and an additional setting bank is created by changing the amount of illumination light.

  The additional bank created by the additional bank creating means is set according to the user's instruction, and the optical information reading apparatus reads the optical information in a mode including the above additional setting bank together with the setting bank already set by the user. Operation of the device is executed. Therefore, the additional bank created by the above-described additional bank creating means may be temporarily set and read and may be tuned.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments of the present invention.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a barcode reader system. It is a perspective view of the barcode reader which is an optical information reader. It is the figure which looked at the arrangement | positioning of the various board | substrates arrange | positioned inside a barcode reader from diagonally forward. FIG. 4 is a diagram related to FIG. 3, and is a diagram of an arrangement of various substrates arranged inside the barcode reader as viewed obliquely from the rear. It is a figure for demonstrating the connection relation of the various board | substrates incorporated in a barcode reader. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the chassis incorporated in a barcode reader, the main board | substrate assembled | attached to this chassis, a power supply board, and a sub board | substrate. It is a figure for demonstrating the various elements assembled | attached to a chassis. It is the figure which looked at the camera module from diagonally backward. It is the figure which looked at the camera module from diagonally forward. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the internal structure of a camera module. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a camera module and various board | substrates, and is accommodated in the main case of a barcode reader in this state. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a camera module and various board | substrates similarly to FIG. 11, It is a figure which shows the example which mounted the heat conductive rubber which is a heat radiating member on a power supply board and a main board | substrate as a preferable example. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the heat conductive rubber is in contact with the power supply substrate, the main substrate, and the main case in relation to FIG. 12. It is a figure for demonstrating attaching an LED board (internal illumination board) to the front end surface of a pair of rod-shaped extension part extended ahead from a main case, and fixing the front end of a power supply board and a main board to an extension part. is there. It is a figure for demonstrating that the main case and its open | released rear end of a barcode reader are closed by a rear case, and is an exploded perspective view which shows the state which fixed the connector board | substrate to this rear case. It is a front view of the main case which accommodated the built-in thing shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a front view of the main case with the camera module removed from FIG. 16. It is a functional block diagram of a barcode reader. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the image buffer of a barcode reader, and a shared memory. It is a figure for demonstrating that the some setting bank is stored in the shared memory. It is a time chart for demonstrating that the imaging process performed by 1st CPU of a barcode reader is performed for every imaging interval. It is a figure which shows the state which attached the external illumination unit to the barcode reader. It is a disassembled perspective view of an external illumination unit. It is a perspective view of the LED board carrying LED built in an external illumination unit. It is a figure for demonstrating the attachment relationship of the two board | substrates integrated in an external illumination unit. In order to explain that LEDs included in an internal illumination unit that is a surface light source that is built in a barcode reader and that has a plurality of LEDs arranged in a plane are divided into a plurality of areas, and lighting control is possible for each area. FIG. 4 is a front view of the internal lighting unit. It is a front view of a large-diameter dedicated external lighting unit, and is a diagram for explaining that LEDs included in the external lighting unit are divided into a plurality of areas and lighting control is performed for each area. It is a front view of a small-diameter dedicated external lighting unit, and is a diagram for explaining that the LEDs included in the external lighting unit are divided into a plurality of areas and lighting control is performed for each area. It is a figure which shows an example of the LED drive circuit integrated in the internal illumination unit and the external illumination unit. It is a systematic diagram for controlling the partial illumination of an internal illumination unit and an external illumination unit. It is a user interface screen displayed when positioning a workpiece | work with respect to a barcode reader. It is a user interface screen displayed when an optical information reading area is set and the brightness of the area is adjusted. It is a lighting pattern setting screen, and is a figure which shows a display mode when an external illumination unit is connected to a barcode reader. It is a lighting pattern setting screen similarly to FIG. 33, but is a diagram showing that a schematic diagram of the partial illumination area of the internal illumination unit is displayed when the external illumination unit is disconnected. It is a figure which shows the setting screen in tuning. It is a user interface screen during execution of tuning processing. It is a user interface screen during reading trial execution in tuning. It is a user interface screen during a bank addition process. It is a user interface screen during analysis processing of an NG image. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the specific example of a tuning process. It is explanatory drawing regarding the automatic generation of the additional bank regarding a lighting pattern. It is explanatory drawing regarding the automatic generation | occurrence | production of the additional bank regarding brightness. It is a user interface screen regarding the automatic generation of an additional bank.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Bar code reader system (Figure 1) :
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a bar code reader system. Referring to FIG. 1, a bar code reader system 1 includes a bar code reader 2 which is a two-dimensional information reading device, and a personal computer 3 connected to the bar code reader 2 as necessary. Various settings are performed using the personal computer 3 while confirming an image captured by the reader 2 with the personal computer 3. In the barcode reader system 1, a ring-type external illumination unit 4 is further connected to the barcode reader 2 as necessary, and together with the internal illumination unit 5 of the barcode reader 2 or the internal illumination unit 5. The operation is stopped and the work is illuminated only by the external illumination unit 4.

  The ring-type external lighting unit 4 is a dedicated product for the bar code reader system 1, and it is preferable to prepare a plurality of different types of external lighting units 4. Of course, it is also possible to incorporate a lighting unit other than a dedicated product as the external lighting unit 4.

  The bar code reader system 1 is installed in an article conveyance path in a factory that manufactures goods or articles printed or engraved with optical information or optical codes such as bar codes and QR codes. The information recorded in the optical information printed on is read and transferred to the personal computer 3 for information analysis. The “optical information reader” is generally called “bar code reader” or “code reader”, and the industry term “bar code reader” is used here.

  Further, in the illustrated example, as disclosed in FIG. 1, various settings of the barcode reader system 1 are performed using the personal computer 3 by installing a setting program in the personal computer 3. Of course, the bar code reader 2 is provided with a display means with a touch panel, for example, and the bar code reader 2, the internal illumination unit 5 (FIG. 3) and / or the external illumination 4 (FIGS. 22 and 23) are set by using this display means. You may be able to work.

Bar code reader 2 (FIGS. 2 to 17) :
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the barcode reader 2. The bar code reader 2 has a main case 6 having a polygonal cross section and a cylindrical front case 7 fixed to the front end of the main case 6, and the internal lighting unit described above is provided in the cylindrical front case 7. 5 is built-in. As can be seen from FIG. 2 and the like, the main case 6 preferably has a substantially square cross-sectional shape.

The barcode reader 2 includes a plurality of substrates that are independent of each other. With reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the plurality of substrates included in the barcode reader 2 are as follows.
(1) Main board 10:
The main substrate 10 is equipped with a CPU and a memory M, and an image is transferred to the memory M and processed by a DSP (digital signal processor). The CPU of the main board 10 controls the barcode reader 2 including the internal lighting unit 5 and performs communication with the external lighting unit 4.
(2) Power supply board 11:
A power source for the barcode reader 2 is generated. An isolated input / output circuit is implemented.

(3) Sub-board 12:
A large-capacity memory is mounted, and acquired images and various settings are stored in the large-capacity memory. In the main board 10 having a limited size and shape, elements that could not be mounted on the main board 10 are mounted.
(4) CMOS substrate 13 (light receiving substrate):
A CMOS image sensor (optical reading element) is mounted, and an image is acquired and transferred to the main board 10. A pointer LED 40 (FIG. 10) is mounted.

(5) LED substrate 14:
It is a disk-shaped board | substrate provided with the circular opening 14a which comprises the internal illumination unit 5, The some LED80 for illumination is mounted in this LED board 14 (FIG. 26 mentioned later), and lighting of this some LED80 for illumination Execute control. The plurality of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged on a plurality of concentric circles having different diameters around the optical axis of the lens assembly 36 of the barcode reader 2 described later. The plurality of illumination LEDs 80 mounted on the internal illumination unit 5 (LED substrate 14) are controlled to be lit in divided areas as will be described later. The LED board 14 is provided with a constant current circuit for supplying a constant current to a plurality of illumination LEDs belonging to each area.
(6) Connector board 15:
This is a board constituting an input / output interface with an external power supply, IO, RS232C, Ethernet (registered trademark), and external lighting unit 4. The external lighting unit 4 is supplied with power from the power supply board 11.

  Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, main board 10 and power supply board 11 are arranged to face each other, and these main boards 10 are located in regions sandwiched between the side edges of main board 10 and power supply board 11. The sub-board 12 is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the power supply board 11. The arrangement positions of the sub board 12 and the main board 10 may be replaced with each other. The main board 10, the power supply board 11, and the sub board 12 are arranged along the three side surfaces of the bar code reader 2 adjacent to three side surfaces of the four side surfaces of the main case 6 having a rectangular cross section. . A CMOS substrate 13 is located in a space surrounded by the main substrate 10, the power supply substrate 11, and the sub substrate 12, and the CMOS substrate 13 is disposed on one vertical plane orthogonal to the substrates 10 to 12. Further, the LED substrate 14 and the connector substrate 15 are positioned parallel to the CMOS substrate 13 and facing each other with the CMOS substrate 13 interposed therebetween.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the connection relationship between the substrates 10 to 15 described above. The main board 10 is connected to the power supply board 11 by a first FFC 20 (Flexible Flat Cable), connected by a sub board 12 and a second FFC 21, and connected to the CMOS board 13 by an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) 22, The lighting unit 4 is connected to the LED board 14 by the third FFC 23, and is connected to the connector board 15 by the first harness 24. The power supply board 11 is also connected to the LED board 14 of the internal lighting unit 5 by the second harness 25, and a power source for causing the illumination LED mounted on the LED board 14 to emit light is supplied from the power supply board 11 to the LED board 14. Supplied. The power supply board 11 and the connector board 15 are connected by two harnesses 26 and 27 and the FFC 28.

  Referring to FIG. 5 again, it should be noted that the main board 10 and the power supply board 11 have substantially the same size and shape. In other words, the main board 10 is designed to have substantially the same size and shape as the power supply board 11, and electronic components that could not be mounted on the main board 10 due to this restriction are mounted on the sub board 12.

  6 and 7, the main substrate 10, the power supply substrate 11, the sub substrate 12, and the CMOS substrate 13 are assembled to a chassis 30 that is a resin molded product. As best seen in FIG. 7, the chassis 30 has a box shape having a substantially square cross-sectional shape that is substantially similar to the cross-sectional shape of the main case 6, and closes one side surface 30a of this box shape. The five surfaces are open. The main substrate 10, the power supply substrate 11, and the sub substrate 12 are disposed on the three open side surfaces 10b to 10d, respectively. The resin molded chassis 30 is open front and rear, and a camera module 32 is inserted through one end opening 30f (FIG. 7). The camera module 32 inserted into the chassis 30 is surrounded by the main substrate 10, The power supply board 11 and the sub board 12 are located, and the camera module 32 is surrounded by the main board 10, the power supply board 11 and the sub board 12.

  Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the camera module 32 has a camera holder 35 made of a die-cast product such as aluminum. The camera holder 35 is opposed to a holder main body 35a having a rectangular cross section and a holder main body 35a. A pair of arms 35b extending forward and parallel to each other from the side surfaces, and a pair of attachment portions 35c extending in the direction away from the front ends of the pair of arms 35b. The CMOS substrate 13 is fixed to the holder main body 35a by a plurality of screws 37 on the rear end surface opened rearward (FIG. 8).

  For positioning the main board 10 and the power supply board 11, six claws 38 are integrally formed on the chassis 30 (FIG. 7), and the main board 10 and the power supply opposite to the main board 10 are formed using the six claws 38. The substrate 11 is positioned on each of the two opposite side surfaces 30b and 30d that the chassis 30 is open. The main substrate 10 is formed with a notch 10a for receiving the claw 38 (FIG. 7). Similarly, a notch 11a is formed in the power supply substrate 11 (FIG. 3). Referring to FIG. 7, rectangular sub-board 12 has a pair of through holes 12a and 12b at diagonal corners, and a pair of chassis 30 corresponding to the pair of through holes 12a and 12b. A through hole 30g (one through hole is not shown in the drawing for drawing reasons) is formed, and the sub-board 12 is screwed to the chassis 30 by aligning these through holes 12a, 12b, 30g.

Arrangement of pointer LEDs (FIG. 10) :
The camera module 32 includes a cylindrical lens assembly 36, and the lens assembly 36 is disposed between a pair of arms 35 b and 35 b of the camera holder 35. Referring to FIG. 10, the CMOS substrate 13 is fixed to the rear end opening of the holder main body 35a using screws 37 (FIG. 8). A pair of pointer LEDs 40 and 40 are mounted on the CMOS substrate 13. In relation to the pointer LED 40, a diffusion sheet 41 is disposed in the holder body 35a immediately in front of each pointer LED 40. The lights of the two pointer LEDs 40 are irradiated forward through the diffusion sheet 41 and the lens assembly 36, respectively, and indicate two points separated from each other in the field of view of the barcode reader 2. Reference numeral 43 in FIG. 10 indicates a CMOS image sensor which is an optical reading element, and the optical reading element 43 is mounted on the CMOS substrate 13.

  By incorporating the pointer LED 40 in the camera module 32, the relative position between the optical reading element 43 and the pointer LED 40 can be easily maintained, and the bar code reader 2 can be easily downsized. In particular, since the pointer LED 40 shares the lens assembly 36 of the barcode reader 2 with the optical reading element 43, a dedicated lens for the pointer LED 40 is not required, and the barcode reader 2 can be easily downsized. is there.

  In the camera module 32, the distance between the optical reading element (imaging element) 43 and the lens assembly 36 is very large as compared with the conventional one, and optical information such as a bar code and a QR code is very minute with high resolution. It has the feature that it can be read to the area. Thus, when the camera module 32 having a large length in comparison with the conventional case is accommodated in the barcode reader 2, attention should be paid to the above-described substrate arrangement. That is, by introducing the technical idea that the camera module 32 is surrounded by the main board 10, the power supply board 11, and the sub board 12, the long camera module 32 is accommodated in the outer case while downsizing the barcode reader 2. can do.

Incidentally, the specifications of the camera module 32 are as follows.
(1) Optical magnification: 0.6 to 1.0 times (in the examples, 0.823 times);
(2) Field of view range: 7.5 mm x 4.8 mm to 4.5 mm x 2.9 mm (5.5 mm x 3.5 mm in the example);
(3) Distance from the optical reading element to the front lens: 35 mm or more (40 mm in the embodiment).

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an assembly in which the substrates 10, 11, 12 and the camera module 32 are assembled to the chassis 30. FIG. 12 shows a state in which a heat conductive rubber 45 is installed on the main board 10 and the power supply board 11 as a heat radiating member having cushioning properties and excellent heat conductivity. If there is a need for heat dissipation of the barcode reader 2, it is accommodated in the main case 6 (FIG. 2) having a rectangular cross section with the heat conducting rubber 45 attached in the manner illustrated in FIG. 12 (FIG. 13).

  Since the main board 10 and the power supply board 11 are disposed adjacent to and along different side surfaces of the main case 6 having a polygonal cross section made of a metal material having excellent heat conductivity, the heat of the main board 10 and the power supply board 11 can be obtained. Since the camera module 32 can be accommodated in a space surrounded by the main board 10 and the power supply board 11, the barcode reader 2 can be further reduced in size. In particular, heat dissipation efficiency can be increased by interposing a heat dissipation member such as the heat conductive rubber 45 between the main board 10, the power supply board 11 and the main case 6. Miniaturization is possible.

  Reference numeral 46 in FIGS. 13 and 15 denotes a rear case, which is detachably attached to the rear end opening of the main case 6 and closes the main case 6. A connector board 15 is attached to the rear case 46, and the connector board 15 is fixed to the rear case 46 with screws 47 (FIG. 15). The main case 6, the front case 7, and the rear case 46 constituting the outer case of the barcode reader 2 are preferably made of, for example, a metal material excellent in heat conduction, for example, a heat transfer material such as aluminum.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the main board 10 and the power supply board 11 have through holes 50 and 51 in the narrow part of the front end, respectively. The main case 6 of the barcode reader 2 has a pair of rod-like extension portions 6a extending forward and parallel to the inside of the cylindrical front case 7 (FIG. 15).

  Referring to FIG. 14 in which the front end portion of the main case 6 is extracted, the pair of extension portions 6 a of the main case 6 are formed in the through holes 50 and 51 associated with the narrow front end width portions of the main board 10 and the power supply board 11. Holes 52 and 53 are formed, and the main board 10 and the power supply board 11 are fixed to the main case 6 (extension portion 6a) using screws 54 inserted into the through holes 52 and 53. As a result, the main board 10 and the power board 11 positioned by the three claws 38 of the chassis 30 are each fixed to the extended portion 6 a extending forward of the main case 6 by one screw 54. In other words, the chassis 30 is fixed to the main case 6 by the two screws 54 in total. In order to facilitate the work of fastening the screw 54 and the work of removing the screw 54, it is preferable to mount a nut 55 to which the screw 54 is screwed into the through hole 50 of the main board 10 and the through hole 51 of the power supply board 11. The LED board 14 is fixed to the front end face of the pair of rod-like extension portions 6 a of the main case 6 using screws 60. The ring-shaped LED substrate 14 is arranged around the lens assembly 36, and a plurality of illumination LEDs 80 mounted on the LED substrate 14 form a ring-shaped surface light source positioned on the outer peripheral side of the lens assembly 36. The

  FIG. 17 is a view of the main case 6 as viewed from the front. The main case 6 has a pair of left and right mounting seats 62 on its front end surface, and the camera module 32 is fixed to the main case 6 using the pair of mounting seats 62. FIG. 16 is a front view of the main case 6 with the camera module 32 incorporated therein. FIG. 17 is a front view of the main case 6 drawn with the camera module 32 removed.

  By fixing the camera module 32 to the main case 6 that is a metal molded product, the positioning accuracy of the camera module 32 can be increased and the positioning accuracy of the visual field range can be increased as compared with the case where the camera module 32 is fixed to the chassis 30. .

  An assembly in which the main board incorporated in the barcode reader 2, that is, the power supply board 10, the main board 12 and the like, and the camera module 32 including the lens assembly 36 are assembled in the chassis is built in the outer case (main case 6). By adopting the configuration, by preparing a plurality of types of camera modules 32, a plurality of types of barcode readers 2 can be provided to the user using the same outer case. Further, it is possible to manufacture the barcode reader 2 using the same power supply board 10 and the main board 12 for the different types of camera modules 32 and using the same outer case.

  The pair of left and right mounting portions 35 c of the camera module 32 described above are seated on the pair of left and right mounting seats 62 of the main case 6, and each mounting portion 35 c is fixed to the corresponding mounting seat 62 using four screws 63. (FIG. 16).

Functional configuration of the barcode reader 2 (FIG. 18) :
The functional configuration of the barcode reader 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The barcode reader 2 includes first and second CPUs 101 and 102, a shared bus 103, a shared memory 104, the above-described optical reading element (CMOS) 43, and an imaging control circuit 105. The barcode reader 2 includes a network controller 106, a serial communication controller 107, a flash memory 108, an input / output controller 110, and a DMAC 111.

  The first and second CPUs 101 and 102 are processors that access the shared memory 104 via the shared bus 103, and include predetermined arithmetic processing circuits. The shared bus 103 is a data bus common to the first and second CPUs 101 and 102. The shared memory 104 is composed of a volatile semiconductor memory element for holding imaging parameters, decoding parameters, read images, and decoding results, and is typically a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The optical reading element 43 is composed of, for example, a CMOS image sensor that receives reflected light from a work and generates a read image. The imaging control circuit 105 includes an amplifier that amplifies the image signal from the optical reading element 43, an A / D converter that converts the amplified image signal into a digital signal, and the like. The imaging parameter in the shared memory 104, for example, exposure The optical reading element 43 is controlled based on time, gain, and presence / absence of filtering.

  A DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller: DMA controller) 111 transfers a read image generated by the optical reading element 43 from the imaging control circuit 105 to the shared memory 104 via the shared bus 103.

  The network controller 106 is a communication circuit that communicates with an external device such as the personal computer 3 via the LAN 112 (FIG. 1), and includes, for example, an EMAC (Ethernet Media Access Controller). The serial communication controller 107 is a communication circuit that communicates with an external device via a serial communication interface, and includes, for example, a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter).

  The flash memory 108 is composed of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory element for holding an image file. For example, a removable memory card such as an SD (Secure Digital (registered trademark) card) is used. The input / output controller 110 controls writing and reading of an image file with respect to the flash memory 108.

  When the network controller 106 or the serial communication controller 107 receives a command, the first CPU 101 instructs the imaging control circuit 105 to start reading if the command is a reading start command for starting reading. The first CPU 101 also transfers the read image received from the optical reading element 43 to the shared memory 104.

  The second CPU 102 constitutes a decoding unit that reads the read image from the shared memory 104 and decodes it based on the decode processing request from the first CPU 101. When the second CPU 102 completes the decoding process, the decoding result is written into the shared memory 104.

  FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of the operation of the barcode reader 2 of FIG. 18, and shows the setting bank 116 stored in the image buffer 115 and the shared memory 104. The read image transferred to the shared memory 104 by the DMAC 111 is held as an image buffer 115. The image buffer 115 designates an image storage area 117 for holding a read image, a task number storage area 118 for holding the reference task number of the read image, and a setting bank 116 stored in the shared memory 104. A bank number storage area 119 for holding a bank number to be stored.

  The image storage area 117 stores a read image. The setting bank 116 holds various settings such as imaging parameters and decoding parameters. These imaging parameters and decoding parameters are set using the personal computer 3. As described above, the setting bank 116 includes imaging parameters and decoding parameters.

  A plurality of setting banks 116 are stored in the shared memory 104 (FIG. 20), and the setting banks 116 are referred to by the first and second CPUs 101 and 102, respectively. When the barcode reader 2 executes reading based on one bank 116 and fails in reading, the barcode reader 2 attempts reading based on the next bank 116, and when reading fails also in the second bank 116, Banks 116 are successively switched until reading succeeds, such as trying reading based on the next bank 116.

Typical examples of setting parameters of the imaging system are as follows.
(1) Lighting ON / OFF;
(2) Illumination intensity of illumination;
(3) Lighting pattern;
(4) Exposure time;
(5) Gain;
(6) offset;
(7) Dynamic range;
(8) Uptake range.

A typical example of the reading system setting parameter (decoding setting) is as follows.
(1) Types of symbols (optical information);
(2) Filter type;
(3) Number of filters;
(4) Tilt angle;
(5) PPC;
(6) Decode timeout;
(7) Capture range.

Barcode reader 2 imaging sequence (FIG. 21) :
The first CPU 101 performs an imaging process and stores the read image transferred from the optical reading element (CMOS) 43 in the shared memory 104. On the other hand, the second CPU 102 performs a decoding process on the read image stored in the shared memory 104. While the second CPU 102 is performing the decoding process, the first CPU 101 executes the next image process in parallel.

  The first CPU 101 executes the next imaging process when a certain time has elapsed after making a decoding process request to the second CPU 102. The above decoding process request is made when the first CPU 101 completes the imaging process. When the time from the decoding process request to the execution of the next imaging process is called an imaging interval P (FIG. 21), the first CPU 101 completes the time set as the imaging interval P when one imaging process is completed. The next imaging process is executed after the passage of time.

The imaging interval P is defined as follows.
(1) A value obtained by subtracting the imaging time Tb from the decoding time-out time Ta is defined as an imaging interval P (Equation 1 below). This imaging interval P is obtained by calculation inside the barcode reader 2.

    (Formula 1) P = Ta-Tb

  Here, the decode timeout time Ta is an optimum value set in advance by the user, and is a reasonable time required for the second CPU 102 to successfully perform the decoding process. The imaging time Tb is a value uniquely determined by the exposure time and the data transfer rate, and the data transfer rate is determined by the designation of the image capture range.

  The above-described imaging interval P is calculated according to the parameters of each setting bank 116 and stored in the corresponding setting bank 116.

(2) The user sets the imaging interval P.
The user typically sets the value “zero” as the imaging interval P.

Dedicated external lighting unit 4 (FIGS. 22 to 25) :
FIG. 22 shows a state in which the dedicated external illumination unit 4 is attached to the barcode reader 2, and reference numeral 70 denotes a cable that connects the barcode reader 2 and the external illumination unit 4. The external illumination unit 4 is supplied with power from the barcode reader 2.

  The external illumination unit 4 having a ring-shaped outer shape has a circular outer contour, and includes a circular opening 4a at the center thereof. The center of the circular opening 4a and the optical axis of the lens assembly 36 of the barcode reader 2 The bar code reader 2 is positioned so as to match. A stand 71 is prepared for positioning the barcode reader 2. As will be described in detail later, the stand 71 has a pair of plate members 72 bolted to the back surface of the external lighting unit 4 and an attachment for placing the barcode reader 2 at an arbitrary height position of the plate members 72. It is comprised with the metal fitting 73.

  First, the structure of the external illumination unit 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the external lighting unit 4. In the external lighting unit 4, an LED board 77 and a circuit board 78 are arranged in an outer case including a ring-shaped cylindrical front case 75 and a rear case 76. (FIG. 25) is housed in a stacked state.

  A plurality of LEDs for illumination 80 are mounted on a ring-shaped LED substrate 77 having the same size as the ring-shaped cross section of the ring-shaped cylindrical front case 75. The ring-shaped circuit board 78, which is preferably substantially the same size as the ring-shaped LED board 77, controls lighting of a plurality of LEDs 80 mounted on the external illumination unit 4 in addition to the LED drive circuit. A CPU that controls communication with the barcode reader 2 and a memory M (FIG. 1) are mounted. Referring to FIG. 25, the LED board 77 and the circuit board 78 are of course electrically connected, but the LED board 77 and the circuit board 78 are fixed to each other by the first spacer 82 described above. In addition, the LED substrate 77 is fixed to the rear case 76 by the second spacer 81. In other words, the circuit board 78 is fixed to the rear case 76 via the LED board 77.

  When, for example, a Fresnel lens (not shown) is adopted for the front case 75, the relative positioning of the illumination LED 80 of the LED substrate 77 and the front case 75 becomes important. In the example of FIG. 25, the LED board 77 is positioned on the front case 75 via the rear case 76, so that the front case 75 and the LED board 77 are not only relatively positioned, but also the LED board 77. Assembling work of the circuit board 78 is easy.

  As a first modification, regarding the installation structure of the LED board 77 and the circuit board 78, the circuit board 78 may be directly fixed to the rear case 76 via a spacer without the LED board 77 interposed. As a second modification, the circuit board 78 may be fixed to the rear case 76 via a spacer, and the LED board 77 may be fixed to the circuit board 78 via another spacer.

Type of dedicated external lighting unit 4 (FIGS. 27 and 28) :
Two types of external lighting units 4 are prepared. FIG. 27 illustrates the LED substrate 77 of the large-diameter external illumination unit 4B. FIG. 28 is a plan view of the LED substrate 77 of the small diameter external illumination unit 4A. These two types of external illumination units 4 both incorporate a CPU and a memory M as described above. Model information is stored in the memory M. When these external illumination units 4A and 4B are connected to the barcode reader 2, the barcode reader 2 is stored in the memory M of the external illumination unit 4. The external lighting unit 4 is recognized by capturing the model information, and thereby the connection setting with the external lighting unit 4 is executed.

Partial illumination of the internal lighting unit 5 (FIG. 26) :
FIG. 26 is a plan view of the LED substrate 14 built in the barcode reader 2. On the ring-shaped LED substrate 14, a large number of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged almost uniformly over the entire circumference. The illumination LEDs 80 are arranged at substantially the same intervals on three concentric circles spaced in the radial direction. More specifically, the plurality of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged on a plurality of concentric circles having different diameters around the optical axis of the lens assembly 36 of the barcode reader 2.

  The ring-shaped LED substrate 14 is divided into four blocks at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and is partially illuminated in units of a total of eight areas formed by dividing each block into two in the radial direction. Specifically, one row on the outermost periphery is divided into four regions at 90 ° intervals. This is illustrated as an outer periphery first area AEout1, an outer periphery second area AEout2, an outer periphery third area AEout3, and an outer periphery fourth area AEout4. The innermost and middle two rows are divided into four regions at 90 ° intervals. This is illustrated as an inner circumference first area AEin1, an inner circumference second area AEin2, an inner circumference third area AEin3, and an inner circumference fourth area AEin4. The LEDs 80 belonging to each of the areas AEout1 to out4 and in1 to in4 are positioned so as to be uniformly distributed in each area.

  Lighting can be controlled in units of the divided areas AEout1 to out4 and AEin1 to in4 of the internal lighting unit 5. The lighting control divided into these areas may include control of the light emission amount of the LED 80.

Partial illumination of the large-diameter external illumination unit 4B (FIG. 27) :
On the ring-shaped LED substrate 77 of the large-diameter external illumination unit 4B, a large number of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged almost uniformly over the entire circumference. The illumination LEDs 80 are arranged at substantially the same interval on four concentric circles spaced in the radial direction. More specifically, the plurality of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged on four concentric circles having different diameters around the optical axis of the lens assembly 36 of the barcode reader 2.

  The large-diameter external lighting unit 4B is divided into eight blocks at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and partial illumination is performed in units of a total of 32 areas formed by dividing each block into four in the radial direction. Is set to Specifically, the ring-shaped LED substrate 77 is divided into eight areas at 45 ° intervals in the outermost row. This is illustrated by the outer periphery first area AEout1 to the outer periphery eighth area AEout8. The next row is also divided into 8 areas at 45 ° intervals. This is illustrated by the outer middle first area AEmid1 to the outer middle eighth area AEmid8. The next row is also divided into 8 areas at 45 ° intervals. This is illustrated by the outer middle ninth area AEmid9 to the outer middle sixth area AEmid16. The innermost section is divided into eight areas at 45 ° intervals. This is illustrated by the inner circumference first area AEin1 to the inner circumference eighth area AEin8. Even in the large-diameter external illumination unit 4B, illumination can be controlled in units of a total of 32 areas. Even in the external illumination unit 4B, it is possible to control the light emission amount of the LED 80 for each area.

Partial illumination of the small-diameter external illumination unit 4A (FIG. 28) :
Referring to FIG. 28, a large number of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged almost uniformly over the entire circumference of the ring-shaped LED substrate 77 of the small-diameter external illumination unit 4A. The illumination LEDs 80 are arranged at substantially the same intervals on three concentric circles spaced in the radial direction. More specifically, the plurality of illumination LEDs 80 are arranged on three concentric circles having different diameters around the optical axis of the lens assembly 36 of the barcode reader 2.

  The ring-shaped LED substrate 77 is divided into 8 regions at 45 ° intervals in the outermost row. This is illustrated by the outer periphery first area AEout1 to the outer periphery eighth area AEout8. The middle row is also divided into eight regions at 45 ° intervals. This is illustrated by the outer middle first area AEmid1 to the outer middle eighth area AEmid8. The inner circumferential row is also divided into eight regions at 45 ° intervals. This is illustrated by the inner circumference first area AEin1 to the inner circumference eighth area AEin8. Even in the small-diameter external illumination unit 4A, partial illumination can be set in a total of 24 areas. The lighting control divided into these areas may include control of the light emission amount of the LED 80. In addition, you may make it vary the color of illumination by LED80 for illumination for the area set as partial illumination.

LED drive circuit of external illumination unit 4 (FIG. 29) :
FIG. 29 shows a part of the LED drive circuit. The LED driving circuit shown in the drawing can turn on the LEDs 80 for each area and supply a constant current to the plurality of illumination LEDs 80 belonging to each area.

  For example, in the case of the small-diameter outer illumination unit 4A in FIG. For example, the outer periphery first area AEout1, the intermediate first area AEmid1, and the inner periphery first area AEin1 constitute the first block. A block switch 105 and a constant current circuit 106 are provided for each block. When the block switch 105 is turned on, a voltage can be applied to the plurality of LEDs 80 belonging to the block. A plurality of LEDs 80 in each column is provided with a column switch 107 that bypasses the LED 80 for each block, and a group of illumination LEDs 80 is connected in series with the column switch 107 in parallel. In FIG. 29, only one illumination LED 80 for each circumferential row is shown, but this is only for simplifying the diagram, and for illumination connected in parallel with each row switch 107. It should be understood that there are a plurality of LEDs 80 in series.

  Each column belonging to each block is connected in series, and the column switch 107 described above is connected in parallel to each column. Therefore, by turning off an arbitrary column switch 107, a constant current is supplied to a plurality of LEDs 80 belonging to the corresponding block and the corresponding column. By providing this LED drive circuit in the external illumination unit 4A, it is possible to arbitrarily set the area of partial illumination for each column of each block. Moreover, by providing the constant current circuit 106 for each block, for example, the current flowing through the illumination LEDs 80 in the first to third circumferential rows in the same block can be maintained constant.

  In other words, without the constant current circuit 106, for example, when the illumination LEDs 80 in the second and third circumferential rows are lit, the illumination LEDs 80 in the first circumferential row are switched from OFF to ON. The voltage applied to the illumination LEDs 80 in the third circumferential row changes, the current flowing through the second and third illumination LEDs 80 changes, and the brightness changes.

  In other words, even if the block switch 105 is turned ON / OFF, the light emission amount of the illumination LED 80 belonging to another block does not change. This is because each block is connected to the power supply in parallel with each other. However, when the column switch 107 is turned ON / OFF, the number of LEDs 80 lit in the block changes, and the brightness of the LEDs 80 changes accordingly.

  This means that, when setting the lighting pattern of partial illumination, it is desirable to eliminate as much as possible the factors that change the brightness of the LED 80 in order to find out how to best apply light to the workpiece. The constant current circuit 105 is provided in each block for this purpose. Thereby, when setting the lighting pattern, the optimal lighting pattern is ensured by uniformizing the luminance of the LED 80 in the lighting area for partial illumination when the lighting pattern is changed and ensuring the uniformity of the luminance. It will be easier to find. In addition, the LED drive circuit of FIG. 29, FIG. 30 is employable similarly about the large diameter external illumination unit 4B and the internal illumination unit 4B.

Partial illumination of the internal lighting unit 5 and the external lighting unit 4 (FIG. 30) :
The internal lighting unit 5 and the external lighting unit 4 are both surface light sources in which a plurality of LEDs are arranged in a plane, and each surface area is divided into several areas in the circumferential direction and the radial direction. It is possible to partially illuminate, and the user can arbitrarily set the lighting pattern of which area is lit and which area is not lit. The lighting pattern including lighting of all areas can be registered in advance by the user using the PC 3, and the lighting pattern set by the user is obtained when the memory M of the barcode reader 2 and the external lighting unit 4 are connected. This is stored in the memory M of the external illumination unit 4. This lighting control includes control of the light emission amount of the illumination LED 80. In FIG. 30, only one illumination LED 80 for each circumferential row is shown in the same manner as FIG. 29 described above. However, this is merely a reason for simplifying the diagram, and each row switch 107 is shown in FIG. It should be understood that there are a plurality of lighting LEDs 80 connected in parallel with each other.

  As described with reference to FIG. 1, the external illumination unit 4 includes CPU control means. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 30, the partial illumination areas divided in the circumferential direction and the radial direction are set by controlling each block switch 105 and the column switch 107 of each circumferential row by the CPU of the external illumination unit 4. Sometimes, the lighting control of the LED 80 is executed in units of this area.

User interface (FIGS. 31 to 39) :
31 to 39 show user interface screens displayed on the display of the personal computer 3 of the external terminal. The outline of the operation procedure of the barcode reader system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 39. The operations are executed in the following order.

(1) Position the workpiece (Fig. 31);
(2) The user sets the optical information reading area while viewing the display of the captured image, and adjusts the brightness of the optical information reading area (FIG. 32);
(3) The user sets the lighting pattern of the internal lighting unit 5 and the external lighting unit 4 (FIGS. 33 and 34);

(4) The user sets the tuning (FIG. 35);
(5) A tuning process is executed (FIG. 36);
(6) A reading attempt is started (FIG. 37);
(7) If necessary, a bank storing various setting parameters for reading optical information is added (FIG. 38);
The imaging parameters included in each bank include illumination ON / OFF, illumination intensity, illumination lighting pattern, exposure time, gain, captured image capture range, etc. Types of optical information (barcode and QR code) as decode parameters , Filter type, number of times of filter processing, decoding timeout time, capture range, etc.
(8) An image (NG image) that could not be read is analyzed (FIG. 39).

( First operation) Workpiece positioning (FIG. 31) :
First, connection setting between the personal computer (PC) 3 and the barcode reader 2 is performed. At this time, connection setting can be easily performed by assigning a temporary IP address. When the dedicated external illumination unit 4 is connected to the barcode reader 2, the model information of the external illumination unit 4 stored in the memory M (FIG. 1) of the external illumination unit 4 is read. The connection setting of the external lighting unit 4 is automatically executed based on the model information registered in advance in the memory M (FIG. 1) of the reader 2.

  Next, a pair of pointer LEDs 40 built in the barcode reader 2 are turned on to place the work within the field of view of the barcode reader 2. The user positions the work while viewing the captured image displayed on the display screen (user interface screen) of FIG. This user interface screen has a monitor command button. When the user depresses the monitor command button, an imaging command signal is transmitted from the personal computer 3 to the barcode reader 2, and an image captured by the barcode reader 2 is displayed on the personal computer. 3 is displayed on the user interface screen. Since the barcode reader 2 is continuously imaged, the captured image displayed on the user interface screen is a moving image display. While viewing the live image, the user generally positions the workpiece so that optical information such as a barcode is positioned at the center of the captured image. That is, the user can adjust the relative position of the workpiece with respect to the barcode reader 2 while confirming with a live image displayed as a moving image on the display of the personal computer 3.

(Second operation) Setting of optical information reading area and adjustment of brightness (FIG. 32) ;
Referring to FIG. 32, region setting is performed on the captured image in the image display frame on the user interface screen. This can be done by operating a range designation frame superimposed on the captured image, and by specifying a region by enclosing rectangular optical information such as a barcode in the captured image (FIG. 32), optical An information reading area can be set. The brightness of the designated optical information reading area can be set by the user operating the slider of the brightness adjustment bar at the right end of the user interface screen. This adjusted brightness is also used as an initial value for tuning described later.

(Third work) Setting of lighting pattern (FIGS. 33 and 34) ;
The lighting pattern can be set by calling the lighting pattern setting screen shown in FIG. The setting screen of FIG. 33 or FIG. 34 is superimposed on the above-described user interface screen. FIG. 33 is a setting screen when the dedicated external lighting unit 4 is connected to the barcode reader 2, and FIG. 34 is a setting screen when the dedicated external lighting unit 4 is not connected. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 33 and FIG. 34, when the dedicated external lighting unit 4 is connected (FIG. 33), each area of the dedicated external lighting unit 4 and each area of the internal lighting unit 5 are the units 4, 5 A schematic diagram of the lighting unit expressed in a ring shape is displayed. When the external illumination unit 4 is not connected, a schematic diagram of the illumination unit limited to the internal illumination unit 5 is displayed. That is, for each illumination unit used for illumination of the barcode reader 2, a schematic diagram corresponding to each illumination unit is displayed on the pattern setting screen.

  The schematic diagrams displayed on the setting screens of FIGS. 33 and 34 include the partial illumination area AE (for example, FIG. 28) described above, and the user can set an illumination area by selecting an arbitrary area. When the user selects a lighting area in the schematic diagram, the display color of the selected area changes, for example, from gray to red, so that the user can recognize at a glance which area is designated as the lighting area. . In the example of FIG. 33, the entire area of the internal lighting unit 5 is set as the lighting area, while the external lighting unit 4 has the other area set as the lighting area while leaving the right area. It is shown. In the example shown in FIG. 34 in which the external lighting unit 4 is not connected, a state in which all areas of the internal lighting unit 6 are set as lighting areas is shown. In the lighting area setting screens of FIGS. 33 and 34, when the user changes the lighting area, the color display of the corresponding areas in the schematic diagrams of FIGS. 33 and 34 is converted in real time. As described above, since the image captured in each lighting pattern is updated in real time and displayed on the display, the user can easily select a desired lighting pattern while viewing the captured image. Note that the real-time live image has an average brightness value in a predetermined brightness setting area that is adjusted by the user sliding the brightness adjustment bar at the right end of the user interface screen described above. The amount of illumination light, exposure time, gain, etc. are feedback adjusted. As a result, even if the lighting pattern is changed, it is possible to display an image while keeping the brightness of the region of interest to the user constant.

  Regarding the setting of the partial lighting, instead of selecting the lighting area using the graphic display imitating the lighting unit as described above, a list of a plurality of lighting patterns registered in advance by the user is displayed. The user may select from among them.

(Fourth operation) Setting of tuning (FIG. 35) ;
FIG. 35 shows a tuning setting screen, which is superimposed on the user interface screen described with reference to FIG. Using the setting screen of FIG. 35, (1) image quality priority mode and (2) image quality priority mode can be selected alternatively.

(Fifth operation) tuning process (FIG. 36) ;
First, a bank whose setting is to be changed by tuning is selected and tuning processing is executed. Referring to FIG. 36, region setting is performed on the captured image in the image display frame on the user interface screen. This can be done by operating a range designation frame that is superimposed on the captured image, and by specifying a region by enclosing rectangular optical information such as a barcode in the captured image (FIG. 36), tuning is performed. The target area can be set.

  Optical information is extracted from the tuning target area set by the user. As for the brightness change performed in the tuning process, the brightness set in the steps of setting the optical information reading area and adjusting the brightness (FIG. 32) is used as an initial value. Of course, the brightness may be changed from the initial value arbitrarily set by the user in advance, or the lower limit value or the upper limit value of the range of the brightness change in the tuning process may be used as the initial value.

  When the optical information extracted from the tuning target area is successfully decoded, the optical information outline is displayed in a display state surrounded by a green frame, for example. With the appearance of this red frame, it can be recognized just by looking at the success of decoding. When the values of various parameters such as brightness, decoding conditions, lighting pattern, etc. are changed along with tuning, if the decoding is never successful, it is processed as “tuning failure”.

  The user interface screen includes a display of the tuning score in the lower right of FIG. In this display, the horizontal axis is brightness, and the vertical axis is score. The value of the parameter when the tuning score is highest is set in the above-described bank.

(Sixth operation) Image reading trial (FIG. 37) ;
A reading test can be executed by selecting a bank to which optical information is to be read and pressing the “read rate” button. The result of this reading attempt is displayed at the lower right of the user interface screen of FIG. 37, and this reading result display includes “%” and “score”.

(Seventh operation) Add bank (Fig. 38) ;
When it is difficult to operate the barcode reader system 1 with a plurality of banks that have already been set, such as when the setting conditions vary and the reading is not stable, banks are added. In the example of FIG. 38, by selecting bank 1 and bank 2, a bank with brightness between bank 1 and bank 2 is automatically generated. For the parameters other than the newly generated bank brightness, the parameters of bank 1 are copied as they are. Note that the above-described tuning may be executed on this automatically generated bank to optimize the values of parameters other than brightness. This bank addition will be described in detail later (FIGS. 41 to 43).

(Eighth operation) Analysis of NG image (FIG. 39) ;
The image that could not be read is read again from the barcode reader 2 and the decoding conditions are tuned. When the reading is successful by tuning the decoding conditions, the color of the success display column in FIG. 39 is reversed. When the reading is successful, the decoding conditions under which the reading was successful can be stored, and a report of the print quality evaluation result can be output by the user depressing the “decode setting output” button. The analysis of the NG image is executed by an NG image analysis program focusing on this analysis, but may be performed by the setting program described above.

Specific example of tuning (FIG. 40) :
The fifth process, the tuning process (FIG. 36), is used for setting various parameters of the barcode reader system 1. Referring to FIG. 40, first, a tuning target area is set in step S100. By setting the tuning target area, the read range of the captured image is narrowed down. This tuning target area can be set at the center of the captured image displayed on the user interface screen, or can be set even at one corner of the captured image. That is, the user can arbitrarily set the tuning target area corresponding to the position where the optical information exists. An image reading speed can be increased by limiting the tuning target area to the size of optical information, which contributes to an increase in the tuning processing speed.

  In the next step S101, the initial value of the brightness of the captured image displayed on the user interface screen is set. As this initial value, the brightness obtained by the brightness adjustment (FIG. 32) of the optical information reading area, which is the second work, is employed. Generally, the optimum brightness can be set from the initial stage of tuning by using the brightness set as the optimum in the brightness adjustment performed before the tuning as the initial value of tuning. . As a result, the tuning processing time can be drastically reduced.

  In the next step S102, the reading of the tuning target area is started with the brightness of the initial value. When the reading is successful, the type, size, and display position of the optical information are acquired, and then the process proceeds from step S104 to step S105. Most preferably, the brightness at which reading was successful is set as an initial value, and the optical information is decoded while changing the brightness and other parameter values around the brightness of the initial value. Of course, the brightness within a predetermined range including the brightness that has been successfully read may be set as an initial value, and decoding is performed while changing the brightness of the predetermined range including the brightness of the initial value and other parameters. May be executed. Examples of parameters to be changed in the tuning process are as follows.

(1) Image brightness;
(2) Filter;
(3) image contrast;
(4) Curved surface setting.

  The curved surface setting of (4) means setting of parameters suitable for reading the optical information given to the curved surface, for example, when the workpiece is a cylindrical body.

  In many cases, since the initial value of the brightness is the brightness set as the optimum in the previous processing, the probability that it is determined that the reading is successful in step S104 should be very high. In addition, information on the type, size, and position of optical information such as barcodes and QR codes can be acquired at the initial stage of the tuning process by one reading success with the initial value of the brightness. The directly related information is reflected in the decoding process in the next step S105. Thereby, decoding can be completed easily and in a short time. That is, when reading is successful for the first time, information on the type, size, and position of the optical information is acquired, and the acquired information is reflected in the decoding process.

  The decoding result (score) executed in step S105 is calculated in the next step S106. By referring to this score, a guideline can be given to the value of the parameter suitable for setting.

  In the next step S107, the highest score is detected from the plurality of decode scores, and then in step S108, the parameter value change interval in the range near the parameter value having the highest decode score. The decoding is executed while the parameter value is changed one after another by narrowing the value, and the result (score) is created.

  From the decoding result (score), a candidate with a high score is detected as a plurality of candidates (S109), and the candidate with the highest score among the plurality of candidates is read (S110). By “successful tuning”, it is determined that the parameter value corresponding to the best candidate is the optimum parameter value (S111, S112).

  In many cases, it is considered that tuning is successful at the initial brightness, that is, the optimal brightness set in the work before tuning. Further, the range is narrowed down to the tuning target area which is a partial area of the captured image, and reading is started (S103). The probability that this reading will succeed is generally high, and by acquiring the information of the position, size, and type of optical information by this reading, the subsequent tuning process can be executed quickly, so tuning can be performed. The time required can be greatly reduced.

  Returning to step S104 of FIG. 40, when reading with the brightness at the initial value fails, reading is attempted by changing the brightness around the brightness of the initial value, and the reading is performed even if this is executed a certain number of times. If the process fails, the tuning process is terminated as “untunable”.

  Also, when reading fails in step S111 of FIG. 40, the process proceeds to step S113, where reading of the next candidate is attempted. If this reading is successful, the parameter value corresponding to the second candidate is set. It is determined that the value is an optimum parameter (S116).

  When the reading of the second candidate fails, the same process is executed for all candidates until the reading is successful, such as the third (S115), and the parameter corresponding to the candidate that has been successfully read. Is determined to be the optimum parameter value (S116).

  The specific example of tuning has been described above with reference to FIG. 40, but the brightness is set according to the relationship between the exposure time and the gain. If the exposure time becomes long, the image may be blurred due to the movement or vibration of the workpiece, which may make reading impossible. To cope with this problem, it is preferable to shorten the exposure time. However, when the exposure time is shortened, it is necessary to increase the gain accordingly. If the gain is set high, the noise component of the image increases. There is the following problem. In other words, the three relationships of brightness, exposure time, and gain have the following relationship.

    (Brightness) = (Exposure time) x (Gain setting)

  In consideration of the above, the tuning setting screen allows the user to select “image quality priority” and “speed priority” (FIG. 35).

  In the “image quality priority” mode, an upper limit of 5 ms is set for the exposure time, and the maximum gain is limited to twice. In the “speed priority” mode, the exposure time has an upper limit set in advance, and the maximum gain is 5.4 times.

  With regard to the lighting pattern, it is preferable that a plurality of lighting patterns can be registered, and it is preferable to prepare an initial value for brightness setting for each registered lighting pattern.

Automatic bank creation (FIGS. 41-43) :
FIG. 41 shows an example in which an additional bank is automatically generated based on the lighting pattern created by the user when the user creates three setting banks 116 (FIG. 19) having different partial lighting patterns.

  In FIG. 41, the first to third banks “1”, “2”, and “3” are shown in the upper row, and these first to third banks are banks created by the user. It is. Here, a partial lighting pattern is set for the first bank “1” and the second bank “2”, and a full lighting pattern is set for the third bank “3”. The bank selected by the user from the first and second banks “1” and “2” of the partial lighting pattern, in this example, the first bank “1” is selected, and the first bank “1” is selected. An additional bank is automatically created. Of course, when the user selects the second bank “2”, an additional bank is set for this bank “2”.

  When the user creates additional banks having different lighting patterns, the user selects “partial lighting complement” from “interpolation method” in FIG. 41, and sets the bank to which a bank is to be added from the list of banks already set by the user. Select. Next, the number of complements, that is, the conditions for additional banks to be created are selected.

  In the example of FIG. 41, three options “2 directions”, “4 directions”, and “8 directions” are prepared. The number of options is arbitrary. “Two directions” means that an additional bank is automatically generated by rotating a reference lighting pattern set by the user by 180 °. “Four directions” means that an additional bank of lighting patterns rotated at 90 ° rotation intervals is automatically generated with reference to the lighting patterns included in the bank 116 set by the user. “8 directions” means that an additional bank is automatically generated by rotating a reference lighting pattern set by the user at 45 ° intervals. The user interface screen is created mainly assuming that the rotation angle is an asymmetrical lighting pattern such as the lighting pattern of the first bank “1”. The automatically generated additional banks “4” to “6” are temporarily stored.

  FIG. 41 shows an example in which the user selects “four directions”. The banks “4” to “6” seen in FIG. 41 mean automatically generated banks, and the lighting patterns included in these three additional banks “4” to “6” are shown in FIG. It can be understood from FIG. 41 that a lighting pattern is set that is rotated at 90 ° intervals based on the lighting pattern of the first bank “1” set by the user.

  FIG. 43 shows a user interface screen when an additional bank is automatically generated. When the additional banks “4” to “6” are automatically generated, the information of the additional bank is transmitted to the barcode reader 2, and the live image described in the above-described workpiece positioning (FIG. 31) is displayed on the user interface. Displayed on the screen. The user rotates the test piece (work) with respect to the bar code reader 2 and confirms the light hit state of the live image displayed on the display. Following this, a reading attempt is executed. The result of the reading trial described in FIG. 37 may be displayed as a score. Further, the tuning described above with reference to FIG. 40 may be performed on the additional temporarily stored bank. 43, the words “live view activation”, “reading test with generated settings (temporary setting)”, and “reflect settings” can be seen. Buttons are provided at the locations indicated by these words. Please understand that it is prepared. When the “live view activation” button is depressed, the live image described in the workpiece positioning (FIG. 31) is displayed on the user interface screen. When the “reading test with generated settings (provisional setting)” button is pressed, a reading attempt is executed. When the “reflect setting” button is pressed, an additional bank is set, and the set additional bank is transmitted to the barcode reader 2 and stored in the memory M of the barcode reader 2.

  When the user looks at the live image and the result of the reading trial and thinks that it is necessary to prepare an additional lighting pattern, the user selects “8 directions” and adds an additional bank of lighting patterns rotated at 45 ° intervals. Will be automatically generated. The additional banks rotated at 45 ° intervals are temporarily stored. On the other hand, when the user thinks that the number of additional lighting patterns is not necessary, an additional bank of lighting patterns rotated by 180 ° by selecting “two directions” is automatically generated.

  The automatically generated additional bank is temporarily stored and finally set by a user operation. The set additional bank is transferred to the barcode reader 2 and reflected in the operation of the barcode reader 2.

  FIG. 42 shows an example of automatic generation of additional banks related to the brightness of other parameters included in the setting bank 116. In FIG. 42, the first to third banks “1”, “2”, and “3” are shown in the upper part of FIG. 42. These first to third banks are banks created by the user. It is. Here, the numerical value of the parameter “brightness” means an index of (shutter time × gain).

  When the user selects two setting banks 116 of the first setting bank “1” of “brightness 5” and the second setting bank “2” of “brightness 80” and inputs “number of interpolations”, this “ Based on the brightness of 5 ”and“ brightness of 80 ”, an additional bank is automatically generated by interpolating between them by the number designated by the user. FIG. 41 shows an example in which the interpolation number “3” is designated. The first additional bank “4” of “brightness 10” between “brightness 5” of the first setting bank “1” and “brightness 80” of the second setting bank “2”, “brightness 20” The second additional bank “5” of “” and the third additional bank “6” of “brightness 40” are automatically generated. That is, “brightness 10”, “brightness 20”, and “brightness 40” are obtained by interpolating “brightness 5”, which is the lower limit reference, twice.

  FIG. 42 shows the first and second settings regarding the setting of “dynamic range”, that is, the difference between the dark part and the bright part of the captured image is reduced so that the dark part is relatively bright and the bright part is relatively dark. Although “standard” is set in the banks “1” and “2”, the setting of the dynamic range is inherited as it is in an automatically generated additional bank.

  As another example of automatic generation of an additional bank related to brightness, for example, when the user sets the first setting bank “1”, according to a rule specified in advance by the user based on “brightness 5”, for example, The user-specified number of additional banks that define a plurality of “brightness” may be automatically generated.

  By adding the function to automatically set additional banks in this way, optical information stamped directly on the workpiece called “direct part marking” and fine grinding marks on the surface called hairline workpiece It is possible to reduce the user's setting work regarding the optical information of the workpiece provided with. This “direct part marking” is known to be unstable in reading depending on the direction and amount of light applied to the workpiece. In order to achieve stable reading even when the workpiece is tilted (tilt misalignment) or rotated (rotation misalignment) with respect to the barcode reader 2 during operation, typical rotation positions and tilt angles are reproduced. Setting is required.

  On the other hand, according to the automatic setting of the additional bank which rotated the lighting pattern demonstrated with reference to FIG. 41, the typical lighting pattern which can respond to the "rotation shift" of the work at the time of operation is included. Since the bank is automatically set, the user's setting work can be reduced. According to the automatic setting of the additional bank in which the light amount is changed as described with reference to FIG. 42, the bank including the typical light amount that can cope with the “tilt shift” of the work during operation is automatically set. User setting work can be reduced.

  As described above, in operation, when the barcode reader 2 fails to execute reading according to the parameters of one setting bank 116, reading is attempted according to the parameters of the next bank 116, and reading is performed also in the second bank 116. If the reading fails, the bank 116 is successively switched until the reading succeeds, such as trying reading according to the next bank 116. Therefore, by automatically setting the additional bank described with reference to FIGS. 41 to 43, the barcode reader 2 can be applied to a work having a high sensitivity to the amount of light and light contact such as “direct part marking”. The reading by can be stabilized.

  In addition, when the automatic setting of the additional bank is executed, an appropriate number of additional banks can be automatically set by temporarily setting the additional bank and attempting reading to check the reading rate.

  The present invention is applied to the setting of an optical information reader.

1 Bar code reader system 2 Bar code reader 3 Personal computer 101 First CPU
102 second CPU
103 Shared bus 104 Shared memory 116 Setting bank

Claims (6)

An optical information reading setting support device that creates a setting bank including various parameters set by a user and reflects the setting bank in the operation of the optical information reading device,
Additional bank creation means for creating an additional bank in which the parameters around the reference parameter are changed according to a predetermined rule, based on the parameter selected by the user among various parameters included in the setting bank created by the user When,
An additional bank number selection means that allows the user to select the number of additional banks;
Optical information reading setting support, comprising: additional bank setting means for setting an additional bank created by the additional bank creating means based on an instruction of a user and reflecting it in the operation of the optical information reading apparatus apparatus. The reference parameter is a lighting pattern of illumination of the optical information reader;
The optical information reading setting support device according to claim 1, wherein the additional bank is selected according to a rule designated by the user from a lighting pattern registered in advance by the user. The illumination of the optical information reader is a ring illumination,
The optical information reading setting support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the reference parameter is a non-target lighting pattern in a circumferential direction of the ring illumination.   4. The optical information reading setting support device according to claim 3, wherein the additional bank creating means creates the additional bank by rotating the asymmetric lighting pattern in a circumferential direction.   The optical information reading setting support device according to claim 4, wherein a user can select an angle at which the asymmetric lighting pattern is rotated in the circumferential direction and set the angle as the predetermined rule. The reference parameter is the illumination brightness of the optical information reader;
2. The optical information reading setting according to claim 1, wherein the additional bank creation means creates an additional bank that interpolates between the two reference parameters when a user selects two setting banks having different brightness. Support device.